Fahrenheit 9/11

[El Duderino]

Press Footage

[Myxo]

Woo!

Those French people decided to give him their award.

Yay for them!

[Jeremy Blackman]

Those French people decided to give him their award.

Palm d'Or:

http://www.xixax.com/viewtopic.php?t=5517&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=93

[Stefen]

Don't know if this has been posted yet.

Berg Told Filmmaker He Feared Security in Iraq
Sister Calls Video Footage From Michael Moore a 'Gift'
By JASON STRAZIUSO, AP

PHILADELPHIA (May 29) - In an unused interview shot for Michael Moore's latest film, the American who was beheaded in Iraq said he was concerned about security there as he prepared to seek work as an independent businessman, his family said Saturday.

Moore's crew shot the 16-minute interview with Nicholas Berg during an Iraqi business conference in Arlington, Va., on Dec. 4, said his brother, David Berg.
 

Nicholas Berg's decapitated body was found in Baghdad on May 8, and a video of his killing was posted on an Islamic militant Web site several days later.

Moore confirmed Thursday that he had footage of Berg - shot for his film "Fahrenheit 9/11," which is critical of President Bush - but said he would share it only with the family.

Moore sent copies of the footage to David Berg in New Jersey and sister Sara Berg in Virginia. Their parents will see the video after returning to their suburban home from vacation, David Berg said.
 
Sara Berg said her brother told Moore's crew he was nervous about his safety in Iraq.

"He recognized it was a concern, and he kind of pointed out that he'd worked in difficult situations before," Sara Berg said from her home in Virginia. "It's definitely something that he didn't shrug off."

She said her brother seemed enthusiastic in the footage.

David Berg, speaking from his home outside Newark, N.J., said it was "weird seeing Nick talk," but described the interview footage as dry.

The interview, which was not conducted by Moore, centered on the technical work Berg hoped to find repairing radio transmission towers for his company, Prometheus Methods Tower Service. Berg, 26 when he died, also talks about humanitarian work he did in Uganda and Kenya.

"Nick seemed to be fairly conscious of using this thing to promote his business," David Berg said. "(The interviewer) does ask him at one point about the money and he said no one's denying there's money to be made. But it's very clear when you watch it, Nick knew he wasn't going to make a lot of money.
 
Moore said he had considered using some of the footage in his film but it got edited out, David Berg said. Some of Moore's staffers cried when they heard about Berg's death, the filmmaker told David Berg.

"Fahrenheit 9/11," which recently won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, accuses the Bush administration of stealing the 2000 election, overlooking terrorism warnings before Sept. 11, 2001, and fanning fears of more attacks to secure American support for the Iraq war.

Given Moore's political leanings, David Berg said he was "really nervous" about what the footage of his brother might show. His brother wasn't overtly political, he said.

"He went to Iraq because he had certain beliefs about helping people in messed up situations, but it's not like he was trying to help the Bush administration," David Berg said.

David Berg said Moore handled the situation with "dignity, respect and discipline."

"Michael Moore has really been a total class act with this whole thing," David Berg said. "He could have sold this to the media or stuck it in his movie."

Sara Berg said she saw the video footage as a "gift."

[MacGuffin]

'9/11' may have new route to theaters
Source: Los Angeles Times

Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," cast adrift after Walt Disney Co. blocked its release, may have found another route into theaters. Lions Gate Films is expected to release the provocative documentary in a matter of weeks.

The advanced talks with Lions Gate for domestic theatrical distribution, confirmed by two knowledgeable sources, come as Miramax Films founders Bob and Harvey Weinstein purchased the movie back from the studio they oversee. The brothers paid about $6 million — the film's approximate cost — to end the distribution stalemate.
 
Miramax and its parent, Disney, announced Friday that the Weinsteins had acquired rights to the film and would be responsible for costs incurred before its release. Disney had blocked Miramax from distributing the movie, which is sharply critical of President Bush's handling of terror threats and the Iraq war.

Sources said that if a distribution deal with Lions Gate was reached soon, "Fahrenheit 9/11" could debut in as many as 1,000 U.S. theaters by late June or the first weekend in July. A New York movie marketing company already is working on commercials for the film.

"It is a fair and equitable solution," Moore said in a statement Friday, referring to Disney's sale of the rights. He previously had accused the company of trying to censor the film.

Lions Gate, Disney and the Weinsteins declined to comment. Miramax said no final distribution deal with Lions Gate had been reached.

Disney Chairman Michael Eisner, worried about the film's partisan tone, informed Miramax a year ago that the Disney subsidiary would be barred from releasing the film, which last week took the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. News of Disney's decision was reported by the New York Times shortly before the festival began, turning the movie into a cause celebre.

Although Miramax essentially is independent of Disney, the parent company can prevent Miramax from making or releasing films for budgetary, content or ratings reasons.

Moore has told potential distributors that he wanted the film released in the summer and its video to debut in the fall, so that both would precede November's U.S. presidential election.

In the past, Miramax was forced to find alternative distribution for three controversial movies: the graphic adolescent sex story "Kids," the violent high school drama "O" and the religious comedy "Dogma." The last two films eventually were released by Lions Gate.

Both Lions Gate and the Weinsteins could make millions on "Fahrenheit 9/11," as they did with "Dogma." The Weinsteins would give Lions Gate a percentage of the film's proceeds as a distribution fee, keeping much of the balance themselves, according to sources. Moore's previous documentary, the Oscar-winning "Bowling for Columbine," grossed more than $21 million domestically.

Miramax and Disney executives had been working on the deal to sell "Fahrenheit 9/11" to the Weinsteins for several weeks. One of the sticking points was how Disney would unload the movie without making money on the transaction. The Burbank-based company, according to a person familiar with the talks, did not want to appear to profit from a movie it had blocked.

In announcing the sale, Disney and Miramax said any profit from the transaction would be donated to charity.

Miramax financed most of Moore's documentary after its original backer, Mel Gibson's Icon Entertainment, dropped out. Lions Gate is a division of TV and film producer Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., based in North Vancouver, Canada, and Santa Monica.

[Chest Rockwell]

Lion's Gate!? I really wanted Focus Features to pick it up...

[Jeremy Blackman]

Have anything against Lions Gate? Focus Features is owned by Universal. Lions Gate isn't owned by anything (it owns Artisan). So there.

[A Matter Of Chance]

Lion's Gate!? I really wanted Focus Features to pick it up...

and not have an insert!!!

[Jeremy Blackman]

It's official...

Farenheit 9/11 gets distribution & June 25 release

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- Michael Moore's award-winning documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 has picked up a U.S. distributor and will hit theatres June 25.

The film will be released by a partnership of Lions Gate Films, IFC Films, and the Fellowship Adventure Group, which was formed by Harvey and Bob Weinstein specifically to market Moore's film.

Moore's film, which recently won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, criticizes President George W. Bush's response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and connects the Bush family with Osama bin Laden's.

The Weinsteins, who run Miramax Films, bought the rights to the movie from the Walt Disney Co., which owns Miramax and refused to distribute Fahrenheit 9/11.

The Weinstein brothers will personally finance and control distribution and marketing, they said Tuesday.

"I am grateful to them now that everyone who wants to see it will now have the chance to do so," Moore said in a statement.

"On behalf of my stellar cast, GW, Dick, Rummy, Condi and Wolfie, we thank this incredible coalition of the willing for bringing Fahrenheit 9/11 to the people."

Disney chief executive Michael Eisner said the company "did not want a film in the middle of the political process" because he believed that theme park and entertainment consumers "do not look for us to take sides."

In a settlement reached last week, the Weinsteins repaid their parent company for all costs of the film to date, estimated at around $6 million US. Any profits from the film's distribution that go to Miramax or Disney will be donated to charity.

[ono]

Yay for that.

Some new news, too, which I couldn't decide where to put.  So I figured, here's fine.

Weinstein's (sic) In Talks With Fox?
Hollywood heavyweights Harvey and Bob Weinstein are reportedly planning to quit Disney and take their Miramax studio to 20Th Century Fox. The brothers are thought to have fallen out with Disney bosses after they rejected Michael Moore's Palme D'Or-winning film Fahrenheit 9/11 - reportedly fearing the controversial anti-George W Bush movie would jeopardize alleged tax breaks afforded to their Florida theme parks by the state's governor, George's brother Jeb Bush. And now they are considering striking a deal to take the hugely successful studio - behind hits Chicago, Shakespeare In Love and Good Will Hunting - to Rupert Murdoch's Fox. A source tells American newspaper the New York Daily News, "There are four scenarios. They could stay with Disney. They could leave Disney with the name but not their 500-film library. They could leave Disney with the library but not the name. Or they could leave with nothing and start over. Notice that three out of the four involve leaving Disney."
~IMDb.com

Fox seems to be a worse option than Disney, considering how conservative they are.  I don't see this happening.  But considering how the Weinsteins seem to have shied away from anything controversial these days, they may as well be conservatives, too.

[Jeremy Blackman]

What is this, some kind of ironic revenge? From Michael Moore to Herr Murdoch?

[MacGuffin]

Trailer here.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Yes!

(both formats are really buggy right now, though)

I hope they use that music in the movie.

[ono]

The Windows Media Player version seemed to work better for me even though I'm on a Mac.  I really hate when sites embed movie clips in their pages.  So annoying.

"I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers.  Thank you.  Now watch this drive."
Dubya.

What a wank.  Of course, I'm well aware of Moore's skill in editing footage together.  But still, this movie is going to be awesome.  And I agree, great music.  Now that's a trailer.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Of course, I'm well aware of Moore's skill in editing footage together.

There was no cut in that clip. Come on now... see the movie first.